Trapped
by PrinceyAtNight28
Summary: Natsu's known to be a powerhouse wherever he goes, but what happens when he suddenly doesn't have the strength to hold his eyes open? Under the influence of a restlessness type spell, Natsu's energy is close to nonexistent. However, something else seems to be plaguing the hero on a deeper level.(Set right after Lucy's true nightmare clock thing and before the tournament)
1. Chapter 1

_Trapped_

 _Princey_

* * *

Lucy opened her eyes to the sight of a cheeky smile. She wasn't sure what time it was. It was early morning, she knew that much. No one was bustling outside; she couldn't hear the song of birds or see the sunshine through her window. It hadn't even reached daybreak, yet.

So _why_ was there a pink-haired man three inches away from her face?!

She yelled in alarm without thinking, striking the guy and scrambling out of bed.

" _Natsu!_ " The blonde growled, "Quit breaking into my house!"

"Whoa, whoa—what was that for?!" Natsu whined, rubbing the cheek Lucy had smacked him on.

The celestial wizard was standing a few feet from her bed, still shaking a little from the sudden surprise of her friend and still clutching her pillow. Dressed in pink pajamas and a rat's nest of a head of hair, she still had fire in her eyes towards the dragon slayer.

"For trying to get in bed with me, you creep!" She exclaimed, throwing her hands up, and hurling the pillow in her hands at Natsu.

"Mmm? What's with all the noise…?" A tired voice yawned, and a blue cat slid out from somewhere underneath the pink comforter that covered Lucy's bed.

"Happy? You're here too?!" Lucy shrieked, " _Get out!_ "

"Jeez, why'd ya' have to go and wake the beast, Nastu…?" Happy grumbled, his eyes narrowed sleepily as he rolled over.

"Well, it's not like I meant to!" Natsu defended, glaring at the lump in the covers that was his friend.

Lucy glanced at her clock her moaned. It was so late.

"Natsu, it's three in the morning— _why are you here_?!" Lucy demanded, annoyance and fatigue dripping from her voice. The dragon slayer started to answer but was cut off. "You know what, I don't care. Just get out of my bed so I can get some sleep. We have another job tomorrow. I'm _still_ worn out from today."

Lucy stuck her thumb in the direction of the door to her apartment, "Out."

Natsu paused, blinking, and rubbed his eyes. "Okay. Sorry, Lucy," He said, a tired smile stretching on his face. It was then that Lucy noticed the dark circles under his eyes, and just how pale his face was.

He started shuffling out of her bed, lifting an already snoozing Happy in his arms and starting towards the door.

"Whoa, hey, are you okay? You don't look so good," Lucy said, putting her hand up to stop him from passing her. She saw the sweat on his fore-head, now, and the way his eyes were a little too wide, even if his eye-lids were drooping.

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine," He gave another tired smile. "Just a bad dream earlier, is all."

"Oh," She blinked, her anger melting a little and concern taking its place. "Is that why you came over here?"

"I dunno—can't really sleep tonight. Figured, that, maybe your bed would make a difference," Natsu admitted, shrugging and looking shyly at his feet.

Lucy was almost touched, when—

"It didn't though, and now I'm completely awake from a smack on the face," He pouted, sending an almost betrayed look Lucy's way. "Guess I'll be going, now. Sorry to wake you."

Natsu lunged backwards, falling through the open window Lucy had no doubt closed before going to bed.

"Bye," He smiled, waving as he fell out of sight.

"You jerk!" She called out after him, getting on her bed and poking her head out the window, and glaring into the night. "One day you're gonna get caught breaking and entering and guess who's _not_ going to back you up!"

But he was already gone.

* * *

Lucy arrived a little late at the Fairy Tail Guild, the incident last night causing her to oversleep as she had tried to calm down before resting again. Which took a while.

Lucy didn't exactly like the new guild she's come to know. It was run down, and hardly anyone worked there, now, except for the select few that had been since the beginning and the people that had gotten off of Tenrou Island. She'd keep smiling through it, though. With the 'True Nightmare' nonsense behind her, it was good to have a few normal days before she'd be tossed into another long adventure she knew would eventually come.

She greeted some of the guild members, even hugging Levy before spotting Gray, Erza, Wendy, Carla, Natsu and Happy sitting at the bar eating breakfast.

Or, at least, most of them were.

"Hey, guys—uh," She paused, her eyes landing on the pink head face-planted in the face in front of him.

"He's been like this all morning," Gray grunted, who wasn't wearing a shirt but didn't seem to notice.

"Natsu didn't get any sleep last night," Happy explained, poking his friend's head, "He's really tired."

"That's odd," Erza said, her eyebrows furrowing, "Natsu cherishes sleep like no other. Rarely does he skimp on the opportunity to rest."

"Yeah, he loves a good cat nap," Happy giggled, obviously proud of his pun.

Lucy almost rolled her eyes, but everyone jumped as Natsu suddenly yelled in alarm and lifted his face from the food. He fell backwards, barely missing Lucy as he toppled, taking the stool he was sitting on with him.

Natsu was shaking, his eyes wide, glazed and staring at something beyond the bar that sat in front of him. Sweat covered his body, and his breaths came fast and panicked.

"Natsu, what's the matter with you?" Gray glared, his heart starting to calm from his almost-panic-attack.

The pink-haired dragon slayer made a noise of fear, which made all of his friends snap to attention.

Something was wrong.

Happy had only seen this look on him when he had faced Gildarts and broke down in defeat. It felt wrong to see Natsu like this.

"Natsu, what's wrong? Are you hurt?" Wendy asked, her eyebrows creased in worry.

The dragon-slayer took a sudden gasp of breath, his form pausing before he started to slump over. He caught himself on one hand, the other curled in a fist and rubbing his eyes.

"Ugh…" Natsu groaned.

"It seems the worst of it has passed," Erza observed, standing from her seat. "Natsu, what just happened?"

"Huh…?" He answered blearily, moving his hands and forcing his eyes up to meet intense blue orbs.

"Jeez, he's really out of it," Gray muttered, masked concern slipping on his face.

"Hey, are you okay?" Lucy asked, leaning down and placing a hand on his clammy shoulder. His olive eyes then came to gaze into hers, and she became a little unnerved. The dark circles under his eyes were much more profound, now, and he could barely hold his eyes open.

Natsu stared for a few seconds before he uttered a tired, "Wha…?"

"Argh, _wake up_!" Gray shouted, using his ice magic and freezing a shard onto Natsu's leg.

The cold seemed to jerk the dragon slayer awake, who gave a yelp of alarm as a shiver ran through him.

"I'm up, I'm up!" Natsu growled, glaring. "Jeez."

"About time," Gray muttered indifferently, rolling his eyes.

"Natsu, are you okay?" Happy asked. "What just happened?"

Natsu looked up at the cat, his face creasing in confusion. "Uh, I dunno… Guess I dozed off, or somethin'…" He shrugged, hauling himself to a stand with a grunt. However, his friends noticed how he swayed on his feet.

"What? You don't remember? You just totally spaced out. You'd think you were being attacked, or something," Wendy said.

"Uh…Sorry, I don't remember," Natsu smiled nervously, putting his hands up in a shrug.

A sweat drop could practically be heard forming on his friends.

"This is like the fifteenth time, Natsu. What's going on?" Happy asked.

Lucy looked at Natsu, her eyes wide. "Is that why you're so tired? Does this keep happening?"

"Well," Natsu started, rubbing the back of his head, "I haven't been able to sleep since the night before last. I don't know; something keeps waking me up, I think." Even as he said this, his head nodded and he shook his noggin, batting it with a hand in order to stay awake.

"You look exhausted," Wendy said, "Maybe you should stay home today and rest instead of coming on the job with us."

"What?! No, there's no way I'd—"

"I agree," Erza interrupted, "You're in no condition to fight. And, should you be ill, you need to be treated."

"Aw, c'mon Erza!" Natsu whined, his previous exhaustion forgotten for a moment. "I can take anyone here and now! I've never felt better!"

Erza's face went dark. She loomed over Natsu. "Are you doubting my order?"

"N-no ma'am!" Natsu squeaked, shrinking under her glare. "I'll stay here!"

"I thought so." Erza's face slid back into her neutral expression.

Even now, Natsu was unsteady on his feet. He was swaying more noticeably, now.

"Jeez, you'd think he wouldn't be _this_ tired it's not like he fought a war yesterday. All we did was take out a couple thieves, Natsu, are you really that spent?" Gray scoffed, "Looks like your flame's gettin' real low."

"What'd you just say?" Natsu growled, facing off to Gray, "I could take you even if I _was_ asleep."

"Oh, right!" Gray smirked, "You can hardly stand!" With that, the ice maker gave Natsu a shove, and he stumbled backwards, tripping over his feet and landing hard on his back.

He let out a grunt of pain, a strange sensation shooting through his body.

"Gray!" Lucy exclaimed.

"What, I didn't even push him that hard!" Gray defended, clenching his fists, though he didn't know whether to feel satisfied or worried about Natsu going down that clumsily.

"Natsu, what's wrong?" Erza suddenly asked, interrupting Gray and Lucy's argument.

The pink-haired man was trembling again, his eyes wide, staring up at the ceiling, and his teeth bared in fear.

"Oh, c'mon, Natsu, you're overreacting," Gray said, rolling his eyes again. His smirk shattered, however, when a scream ripped through the air— _Natsu's_ scream.

He gripped his head, rolling onto his knees before his back arched in pain.

" _Stop_ …!" He cried, and everyone froze when he lifted his face from his hands and they saw tears forming in his eyes. " _Stop, don't hurt them!_ "

"What're you talking abou—" Gray was interrupted as a burst of flame was suddenly hurled towards him. He dodged and the fire slammed against the wall of the bar. "Whoa, chill _out_ , man!"

Lucy watched as Natsu stood, with flame enveloping his entire body. The blonde backed away as the heat singed her skin from a few feet away, and she saw how his eyes were out-of-focus—as if he were looking but not quite seeing.

" _I'll burn_ you to…the ground," Natsu's sentence fell away as his flame dissipated, his eyes rolling backwards as he started to fall forward. Thinking quickly, Lucy rushed to catch him, hooking her arms under his causing his head to hang limply. Lucy carefully lowered both of them to the ground, Erza helping her prop him up against the bar.

"Natsu," The red-haired warrior said, shaking the dragon slayer's shoulder. "Natsu, wake up."

"What… just happened…?" Carla asked, her white tail twitching nervously.

"I… I dunno…" Lucy replied, "He said something about Gray hurting someone."

"What?" Gray exclaimed, looking offended, "I didn't hurt anybody!"

"Looks like you just did," Happy retorted, gesturing to his fallen partner. Even now, the pink-haired man twitched as if restless, and his eyes moved underneath his eye-lids, his face contorted in pain.

"What is going on down here?" A gravelly voice suddenly sounded behind the group, and they all looked to see Makarov staring them down. "I sense a strange magic here."

"Magic?" Wendy echoed.

"It's gotta be Natsu," Lucy suddenly said, moving over so that the guild master could see his member.

Makarov visibly flinched at the sight of the boy, gasping as his eyes widened.

"Get away from him, _now_!" He growled. Confused, the group stepped away from Natsu, and, as if on cue, Natsu's eyes shot open in alarm, his voice erupting in a strangled cry of panic.

At the commotion, the rest of the guild drew their attention to the scene, and Makarov ordered them back.

"This is dark magic," the guild master explained, his voice tense. "It's rooted deep within Natsu. He's being drained of his magic energy."

"What?!" The group collectively exclaimed.

"How? What's doing this to him, Master?" Erza asked, watching as Natsu continued to writhe in pain.

"All I know is that this has been inside of him too long. He won't last much longer," Makarov said, and the shock heightened in the room. "Just look at him—he's at his last stand."

"Well, what do we have to do to stop it?!" Gray demanded.

"Maybe my magic could help him!" Wendy suggested, "It's worth a try!"

Makarov's eyebrows furrowed. "Without knowing what caused this I can't say how to reverse it. Whatever spell or curse is doing this it is too deep into his magic. A simple spell may very well speed up the process of his demise of kill him altogether," He explained, and turned to the group of friends. "You must tell me, when did he first start showing signs of this spell?"

"We—uh…" Gray stuttered. "We noticed it just now. I mean, he was kinda woozy walking up here, I guess, but other than that I don't have a clue."

"Wait, Natsu showed up at my house last night saying he couldn't sleep. He looked kinda bad but I figured he was just tired. He said he'd had a nightmare," Lucy said, trying to recall anything else of importance. "Happy, you were with him before then; do you know what could be doing this?"

"He started acting funny right after we'd went to bed; he woke me up yelling about something and when I asked him about it he said he'd had a bad dream. He kept having bad dreams the rest of the night. It was like every time he closed his eyes he'd have a nightmare," Happy explained.

"So it is dark magic—this is a night-trap spell," Makarov said, "It drains the victim of all magical power and transfers it to whoever the caster is. As for the nightmares, the magic is preventing Natsu from sleeping so that he can't rest and replenish his energy. A wizard's magic is part of them, I'm afraid that if this keeps up much longer, Natsu won't last more than a couple of hours—especially if this has been going on since yesterday. It's not usually that anyone lasts more than three hours under this spell."

Makarov stared sadly at Natsu, who was starting to doze off again, unaware of his surroundings, and looked hard at Lucy. "You're on his team," the old man said, "You must tell me who you were fighting yesterday. What was your mission?"

"To retrieve a stolen item from a band of thieves for a client," Lucy stated, nervous with the master's eyes boring into hers. "It was just a wimpy old crew; they were almost nothing."

* * *

"Oh, c'mon! Is that the best you got?!" Natsu sneered, his olive eyes flashing in golden light of the setting sun. He gave a shark-like grin as his body erupted into flames once more, and he charged at three bandits huddled together nervously. " _Fire Dragon Iron Fist!_ " He roared, and all his flames focused onto his hand and slammed into the band of thieves, and they were sent flying.

" _Ste_ -rike!" Natsu laughed, bashing his fists together triumphantly. He ran up to them as they landed on top of each other, and pulled the biggest one up by the collar of his jacket. "You gonna give up what's not yours, bub? Or can I have a little more fun? I can still go for a turkey," He grinned darkly.

"A-alright! H-here! Take it!" The bandit stuttered, stuffing a hand into a pocket and pulling out an orb of sorts with black designs covering it.

"Heh, too easy," Natsu snickered, and took the orb from the trembling man's gloved hands. When Natsu touched it his fingers tingled, and a shiver went up his spine. "Cool," He smiled, and turned back to face his three comrades. "I got it, guys! Let's get out of here! I'm starvin'!"

With all of the gang members defeated, Natsu waved the white and black orb teasingly at his foes. "That was almost too easy! I didn't even get to put on my bowling shoes!" He laughed.

"Enough," Erza said, suddenly beside him and making him jump, "I'll be taking this," She said, taking the orb from Natsu's grasp and into her own armored hands.

* * *

"I cannot thank you enough for bringing this back to me. It has been in my family for many generations. It is priceless and is meant to be kept only by pure hearts," A man with a wiry white beard smiled.

"You're quite welcome. It was a simple task finding it, but I suggest finding a safer place to ensure it does not get stolen again." Erza said.

"Yeah," Gray nodded, "If pure hearts can only touch it, then I don't wanna know what happens when something else does."

"Wait a minute, you mean those that aren't pure can't touch it? What?" Lucy questioned.

The old man smiled. "It is simply an old saying my father told me as his father before him did. Here is your pay. I do wish you a safe journey home, and you are welcome any time here," He said, and handed the group a sack of jewel.

"Gee, thanks, mister!" Happy giggled.

The man smiled cheerily as the group departed and set on their journey home.

When Natsu suddenly started getting drowsy, no one had thought anything of it, blaming it on the journey and the train-ride to the current town.

And, oh, how it would cost them.

* * *

 _(A/N): Fairy Tailllll...?_

 _Yeayyyy...? Nayyyyy...?_

 _Lemme know haha_


	2. Chapter 2

_Trapped_

 _Pt. 2_

Princey

* * *

Natsu's eyes were heavy. His vision was bleary and unfocused—everything was swaying and hazy. It was almost enough to make him sick. His body ached and trembled, and sweat glistened on his skin.

Through his condition, his nose picked up the familiar scent of his guild members. Makarov was close to him—Lucy next to him. Among others, Erza, Happy, Gray, Wendy and Carla were there, too.

Natsu's eyes tried to make sense of the shapes and colors in front of him, but to no avail. He was so tired; so drowsy. His mind was moving a millimeter a minute.

Somewhere, he heard his name being called, and he swung his head to pinpoint the location. The voice it belonged to was familiar, but Natsu couldn't quite pinpoint it.

"Natsu, you must stay awake. Fight through this—it will be over soon," the gravelly voice said through his haze.

"Master…?" He heard himself mumble, and his eyes looked in the general direction of the voice.

"We're here for you, Natsu," a young, high-pitched voice encouraged.

Now, Natsu knows _that_ voice anywhere.

"Happy…" He sighed, and let his head fall back on the wall of the bar. He didn't know what was going on, but he'd listen to his master and put his trust in his friends. If he needed to stay awake for them, he would.

But he was so tired.

* * *

"Happy…" Natsu muttered, and said cat creased his eye-brows in worry.

"Okay, we don't have much time, so listen up," Makarov suddenly said, straightening his back, "To figure out what's happened here completely, we will form two teams to question the band of thieves you all fought yesterday and the man who made the request. Gray and Wendy will go after the bandits, while Erza and Lucy meet with the man. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Master," the addressed members nodded.

"Then, go! There is no time to lose! This is urgent!" Makarov ordered, and sweat was starting to form on his fore-head. This unnerved the guild members a little. This was serious.

"Wait, what about me?" Happy said, a sweat-drop forming on his head as he waved his arms wildly.

"Happy, you will accompany me in taking Natsu to Porlyusica—as will you, Warren, we need to keep in contact with the others," Makarov explained.

Surprised at suddenly being addressed, the telepath nodded determinedly. "Of course, sir—you can count on me!"

"Good," Makarov smirked, "I also needed someone to carry Natsu there for me."

Warren's grin fell into a deadpan.

* * *

"He is waning quickly," The pink-haired woman muttered. Her hair in a bun and her face wrinkled with age, she quickly began to work. Warren, Happy and Makarov watched as Porlyusica placed on cool rag on Natsu's forehead, and steam rose from the area as the fire dragon slayer's body radiated heat.

The young man couldn't stop shivering, and sweat poured from his entire body, already having soaked the bedding underneath him. Porlyusica had allowed Natsu to be put on the bed she used for patients, and she had already removed any clothing from him that wasn't absolutely needed. His vest, sandals, and soft, loose pants were removed. Only, Happy had insisted she allow him to keep on his white scarf, as it was precious to him. The healer had rolled her eyes, but allowed the dragon slayer to keep it on, nonetheless.

Natsu's eyes were half-lidded in his attempt to stay awake. He was lost in his own fatigue—his eyes would droop, and he'd suddenly grunt and jolt awake by something unseen. His skin was pale, and his hands twitched non-stop. His breathing was ragged, as if pained.

"I can only slow the process, but I cannot stop it without knowing the cause of such a power deficiency," The healer explained as she pulled a book one of her tables and started to flip through it.

"We understand. We have teams working to figure this out as we speak," the guild master said, and clenched his fists, "Whoever did this…is sure to get what they deserve. How dare they harm one of my children…?"

Porlyusica grunted in response, turning and grabbing herbs and vials of liquid before mixing them together.

"I'm getting something," Warren suddenly announced, putting two fingers to his temple, "Erza's found the man. And Gray says that he's close to the bandits' hideout."

"Great work, all of you," Makarov said aloud, knowing Warren would patch the praise through to those he considered his other children.

* * *

"How's Natsu?" Lucy asked, and Warren explained his condition and that Porlyusica was doing all she could.

Erza and Lucy stood on the doorstep of the old man's home—a simple brick structure with a flower patch in the front yard. They were in the next town over, their usual time of travel cut in half by their urgency.

The red-headed warrior knocked on the door, and, after a moment, a short old man answered, confused by the disturbance. His face brightened when he recognized the girls before him, and he invited them inside.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" He asked, his innocent eyes gazing up at them with a kind smile.

"Sorry to disturb you, sir, but we come out of urgency. We need to ask you a few questions about the item you asked us to retrieve," Erza explained, following the man inside his home with Lucy in tow.

"Oh? What of it? Please, have a seat—I'll get some refreshments, you look exhausted. Tea?" The man offered. Erza almost declined; they simply didn't have time, but the man was already shuffling into the kitchen to fetch a tea kettle.

"We, uhm…" Lucy started, sitting on the couch and watching as the man sat down a tray of tea and sandwiches. "Our friend is really sick—his power is being drained from his body," The blonde explained, briefly wondering when the man had had the time to prepare snacks. She carefully reached for one, nibbling on it in gratitude.

"Thank you, sir," Erza nodded her head in thanks, "but we do not have much time. Our master fears that whatever is plaguing our friend is fatal—unfortunately, we do not have enough information to cast the correct spell to heal him. We were hoping you could tell us more about this item of yours, as he came into contact with it shortly before falling into his current state."

The old man stared for a moment before putting a hand to the side of his head, sweat forming on his brow. "I see…" He said, his eye-brows creasing in concern. "Tell me, was your friend wearing some sort of protection when handling the orb?"

"What do you mean 'protection'?" Lucy asked.

"One must always wear gloves when handling the orb," The man stated, gesturing to the gloves on his hands, "It is cursed."

"Cursed?" Lucy echoed, her eyes wide. Lucy mirrored her look, and the man nodded gravely.

"Indeed… I'm afraid that, unless your friend wore some sort of protection on his hands, he was cursed upon by the orb. The curse was cast first on the orb by my great, great, great, great grandfather."

"Six generations ago?" Erza gaped. "What kind of curse was it?"

"Those who come into contact by the orb are drained of their magical energy. Where it goes, I'm unsure of. Unfortunately, there is no spell that can stop it," The man said, placing his hands over his face. "I have lost many due to its horrid purpose."

"So you're saying that this orb is meant to kill whoever touches it?!" Lucy exclaimed, and her heart skipped a beat.

"I…I'm afraid so," the man shook his head, defeated. "The intentions my ancestor had for it, I do not know of, but I do know this; the only way it can be reversed is by the victim themselves."

"How?" Erza demanded, her gaze hardening.

"I… I'm afraid, I…" The man stuttered, lowering his hands. "I do not know…"

The shock was enough to cause Erza and Lucy to lose their breath.

"What do you mean? How do you know it works if you don't know how to do it?" Lucy exploded, her emotions getting the better of her, and tears forming in her eyes. "If this curse kills whoever touches it and you know the gist of how to stop it, then who stopped it and how?"

"She has a point," Erza stated, placing a hand on Lucy's shoulder to calm her down. "Who is the person that pulled through this curse? Perhaps we could ask them."

"You can't," the man muttered, gripping the fabric of his pants.

"What do you mean?" Erza asked, her patience waning.

"My wife, Amelia, touched the orb on accident when she was younger. She pulled through years ago," The man explained. "Unfortunately, she recently became ill— _very_ ill. She… She has passed two weeks from today…"

"I am sorry for your loss, sir," Erza bowed her head, regretting her outburst. "However, I would like to ask of you to try and remember anything she could have done pertaining to her pull-through of the curse. Please."

The man's now-teary eyes blinked hard in determination not to cry. "She…She mentioned something about overcoming her fear—her nightmare. I…She did not like to talk about it… All she said was that once she had made her peace, she was free, and she had finally woken up."

"Nightmare…hmm…" Erza pondered, "It would explain Natsu's inability to sleep. Could it be that overcoming whatever your most feared nightmare is is the key to uplifting the curse?"

"I wish I could answer you for sure, miss. I… I've told you all I know. I'm afraid I must ask you to take your leave, now. Forgive me, for I do not feel well," The man said, standing from his seat with his head bowed.

"I understand," Erza nodded solemnly, and stood, as well. "I give my greatest thanks for your help, sir. Fairy Tail honors your willingness to assist us in our time of need; our deepest apologies for disturbing you and causing you any distress. Farewell."

And with that, the man showed them to the door.

* * *

 _"Warren, did you get all that?"_ Erza thought as she made her way back to the train station with Lucy in tow.

 _"Yeah, everyone did. I tried to patch it through to Natsu but I don't even know if he heard it. He's… He's not lookin' too good,"_ a voice replied from everywhere yet nowhere inside of Erza's mind.

 _"Thank you for the help, Warren,"_ Lucy told him, _"We're heading home, now"_

 _"Roger. Gray and Wendy have already been notified and their coming back from their mission. There's no sense in trying to get a hold of those bandits, now."_

 _"Right,"_ Erza thought as she purchased two train tickets for the next stop home. _"We'll be home soon. Natsu will pull through. I have faith in him. He's strong."_

* * *

Natsu heard voices coming from…somewhere. From what his foggy mind could gather, he was in danger, and he was stuck in it by himself. Something about the nightmares he's been having recently. His half-lidded eyes closed momentarily as bits and pieces of his recent nightmares rushed back.

The blood. The beatings. The screams. The terror. The inability to do _anything_. Happy screaming out for him, choking as a hand crushed his neck. Lucy crying out as someone beat her. Erza giving in at the Tower of Heaven. Gray managing to sacrifice himself just as his master had. Wendy kidnapped and never seen again. Carla actually turning on Wendy and hurting her as duty of an Exceed. Happy doing the same to Natsu.

He dreamed of actually turning on his friends. Of losing control and actually harming them. Of going too far in a fight with Gray. Of Master Makarov dying. Of Gajeel actually killing Levy and her team when he'd encountered them. Of so many things and so many times things could have gone wrong.

Of times he could have found Igneel, but finding him slain or dead. Of maybe a time he gives up searching.

With every nightmare he grew more and more weary. With every nightmare his body shook worse and his heart ached.

"… _Natsu will pull through. I have faith in him. He's strong."_

Something in Natsu's mind gained a little peace through that, if only a little.

But a little was all he needed.

* * *

(A/N): Yeaaaa I know it seems a little rushed, I'm sorry ^^; Perhaps the next chapter will be up soon. Anything you'd like to comment on? Anything that needs fixed? Don't be shy! I won't bite lol

Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

_Trapped_

Part 3

Princey

* * *

Porlyusica's eyebrows furrowed as she studied the mage before her. His skin was paling even more so, making the darkening circles under his eyes become a stark contrast, and his teeth were bared in fear in his sleep. He hissed through his compelling canines, his face contorting in pain as his body was wracked with more spasms. The earlier treatment Porlyusica had forced down the wizard didn't seem to have had affect.

Natsu was worsening.

The healer turned back to her work. She'd heard all of the information the old man had shared with Erza and Lucy, and that was all she had needed. One's will to live wasn't the only thing that could break this curse. Porlyusica flipped through the pages of her book, holding a vial with her free hand. Once she'd found the page she'd been searching for, Porlyusica grabbed many other vials around her and started to mix them. She took great care in measuring out everything.

"What's that…?" Happy inquired from his position beside Natsu. The cat had been ordered to stay away from Natsu, but the Exceed couldn't seem to comply. He'd placed himself beside Natsu's head, his own noggin nuzzling into soft pink hair. Happy wanted to believe that his presence was somewhat comforting to his partner.

"It will heal him," Porlyusica stated bluntly. The collective gasp of the room had her resisting the urge to roll her crimson eyes.

"What do you mean?" Makarov asked, his face betraying his confusion, "I thought that only Natsu could—"

"Just because one man doesn't know the cure, doesn't mean there isn't one," The red-cloaked woman explained, almost sounding annoyed. "This will have him on his feet in a few days' time. I suggest waiting at least a week before allowing him to go on another mission. He will be weak; his very life-force is being sapped away."

"I…understand," Makarov replied, blinking, and then slapping a hand to his forehead. "Although, keeping that boy still is like telling the sun not to shine."

"Yeah," Happy grinned, elated at the recent update. "Natsu's gonna hate this."

"I'll patch the news through to everyone else—they'll be happy to hear it," Warren offered, and put to fingers to the side of his head.

They were interrupted when Natsu suddenly let out a yelp, and his fists clenched tight, his eyes flying open and pupils narrowing to slits. He started to cry out, his shouts sounding panicked and afraid, and he started to thrash against the blankets on him.

Happy, startled, took flight without thinking, and gave his friend some space.

"He is having yet another nightmare. What his eyes are seeing is merely a hallucination conjured by a deep-rooted fear," Porlyusica explained, glancing towards the boy and back to her work. "It will pass."

Happy's face was slowly morphing into that of helplessness and sadness. He couldn't do _anything_. A part of him wondered what Natsu was seeing, but another insisted that if it were enough to scare _Natsu_ , he probably didn't want to know.

Just as the healer had said, however, Natsu's shouts faded to whimpers, and then back to the ragged, pained breathing. The dragon slayer's eyes were half-lidded, cloudy and tinged red. The olive orbs stared somewhere beyond the structure he was in, twitching and flinching when his mind deemed it necessary. Sweat made his skin slick, and his trembling hands now gripped the fabric below him.

Happy took a deep breath to keep his tears from brimming to his eyes. He had to be strong. Natsu was always strong for him—now it was his turn to do the same. Natsu would pull through—Porlyusica just said he would.

Happy just wished he could do something to help.

* * *

Natsu's world was a swirling, tilting and blurry mess. Strings of incoherent images swam through his vision, sometimes discolored and sometimes so vibrant his eyes ached. His stomach churned and stirred, and he felt increasingly nauseous. His body wouldn't respond to most of his wishes, starting with the fact that he felt somewhat disconnected from it. His senses, however, seemed to be off yet on overdrive at the same time.

He'd catch whiffs of different people he hadn't seen in years, or even hours ago. Other times his nose couldn't pick up anything at all. His ears heard sounds that didn't fit his surroundings, no matter how disorienting.

Natsu felt as if his mind was being forced into a place where it couldn't move—similar to feeling claustrophobic. He couldn't think straight—only strings of thoughts would get finished, leaving him even more disoriented.

The mage gasped as he felt something stab at his chest—something slick and cold and _sharp_.

Erza's sword.

For some reason he was sure it was her. It was Erza's sword that had formed in his chest; Erza's armored hand gripping the hilt. It was her vicious brown eyes that materialized, the way her grin was sick and twisted as her sword pierced him.

"You lose," She hissed, her hair dripping a red liquid and melting into something thick and copper-tasting. The same liquid spilled from Natsu's chest and mouth, flooding his senses. Natsu screwed his eyes shut—he tried to scream but he choked and hacked up the liquid running from his whole body. Erza was gone, now. She'd probably gone back to the guild to brag about her victory.

Natsu shivered, he opened his eyes—he was underwater. He started swimming, the bliss of the water around him disrupted only by his movements and his heart pounding in his ears as he held his breath.

Oh, that's right—the mission. He looked over to see Aquarius swimming gracefully and scornfully beside him. Lucy was on her back, holding on as she smiled at Natsu. He grinned back, and closed his eyes in the serenity of the water. When he opened them again, his shout was muffled by the water as he beheld Lucy's vacant eyes staring back at him, floating limply through the water. Her eye was the same orange as when she was trapped in that clock.

Her limbs were sucked into the orange surface of the main point of the giant clock. Natsu felt his feet land solidly on the floor of the Infinity Clock. He didn't have much time before the True Nightmare was activated. All that was left sticking out of the orange, amber-like substance was her chest, knees, and the main features of her face.

Natsu hurled himself up the stairs leading up to Lucy, crying out her name in alarm. Was he too late?

"Lucy, don't worry, I'll get you out of there!" The mage assured her, and raised his hand to touch her face in hopes of finding a way to release her before his hand formed a flame, and Lucy's cheek was replaced by Happy's neck, and he found his hand suddenly gripping the furry creature as the blue cat looked at him, horrified.

"Na-natsu…!" The Exceed choked.

Natsu felt himself snarl at his partner, and his grip tightened around the cat's neck, his flame intensifying. He felt Happy's claws tearing at his hands in desperation, tears running down his cheeks and his eyes starting to grow cloudy.

There was suddenly a _snap_ and Happy went limp, his eyes still showing terror even as they glazed over and lost their light.

Natsu dropped the cat and cackled madly at the three wizards that started screaming out the cat's name. Erza, Gray and Lucy started launching attacks at Natsu, but he hardly felt them as he felt his skin tingle and sting. Scales crawled across his cheeks before spreading to the rest of his body. Natsu bared his canines at his enemy as Jellal launched yet another attack at him.

Erza had taken the hit from Altairis, sacrificing herself so that Natsu could live and beat Jellal, and destroy the Tower of Heaven. He roared as he charged forward at the man, his rage so consuming that his vision allowed him to see only Jellal.

Natsu screamed a spell into the air, his sacred flame appearing and hitting his target as the dragon roared in pain. Igneel proceeded to then send an attack of his own at his son, and Natsu was unable to dodge in time as flames engulfed him. However, the mage laughed as he simply started slurping the flame like noodles.

Unfortunately, he realized he actually _didn't_ have enough to pay for his meal, and his bowl of ramen was now completely empty, and Happy was in the process of ordering dessert to take home to Erza. When it came time to pay the bill, Natsu was horrified when he was informed that he was to be cut open and harvested of the food he had just eaten. He looked to Happy in bewilderment, expecting to see him stunned in horror, but only saw a scornful gaze as Happy lectured him on the importance of spending money wisely as the restaurant owner charged at him with a knife. Natsu simply turned tail and crashed through the window to escape.

As he continued to descend through the air, the ground getting closer with every passing second, he screamed out for Happy, who was unconscious and falling beside him. They'd been blown off of the cliff by an extremely powerful attack, and now they were plummeting to their death. The ground rushed to them, and Natsu reached out for Happy. He grabbed him and held him close to his chest, turning so that his own back was towards the ground.

When the hard flooring of the train collided with the back of Natsu's head, Happy laughed and hopped up from his place on his stomach to sit beside Lucy on the plush seating of the train. There was suddenly a loud _bang_ as all of the passengers were thrown to one side of the train. Everyone screamed in horror as the train derailed and flew from the tracks. When Natsu flew from his own place, his head collided with the side of the underground cavern as he tried to get his footing in the midst of the tremendous earthquake that suddenly rocked the earth.

* * *

After Porlyusica had forced the cure for Natsu down the dragon slayer's throat, she watched the boy carefully.

After five minutes of tense waiting and watching, Natsu's ragged breaths started to slow, and his form gradually began to relax. The healer took the rag she'd used earlier and dipped it in cold water again, ringing it out before dabbing the young man's forehead and face. She did the same to his neck, having to work around the scarf the dragon slayer wore.

The boy's eyes slid out from heavy eyelids.

"Wha…? Where…?" He slurred, his fevered eyes attempting to focus on Porlyusica.

The healer's eyebrows rose slightly. That was fast. Patients usually took much longer to wake up after being treated. She held her hand up to the guild members behind her, who she could tell were about to burst into sound. They remained silent.

"You're in my home. Tell me, child, what do you see?" Porlyusica asked, pausing in her task of cleaning the sweat off of the boy.

"Uh…" He blinked heavily, his tongue having difficulty forming words, "I…see…uhm, you, and… and your…house…?"

"Right," The healer nodded to him, "Can you tell me your name?"

"Natsu," the pink-headed wizard yawned.

"Your full name."

"Natsu Dragneel."

Seeming satisfied, the healer proceeded to peel the boy's heavy eyelid back and look deep within his eye, seemingly searching for something. Natsu squirmed, unable to do much but draw his eyebrows down uncomfortably. When she found what she'd been looking for, Porlyusica relented.

"His fever is not completely gone. I suspect that this is from his fire magic trying to keep his body regulated while the curse was within him. The conflicting magic stressed his body and resulted in a physical illness, so he will have something of the flu for a few days," The healer informed the members behind her, feeling Natsu's pulse and listening closely to the slight _wheeze_ that came with each breath the dragon slayer took. She turned and met eyes with Makarov, "He is _very_ lucky to have survived under the curse this long. But he'll live."

With that, Natsu attempted to sit up, about to inquire about what was going on, but he grunted in pain as his muscles screamed in protest to the movement, and he laid back down.

"Natsu!" Porlyusica jumped as Happy exploded beside her, leaping onto the bed and hugging the mage as much as his little arms would allow. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Happy," Natsu managed tiredly, and a small smile came to his face as he lifted an aching arm to rest his hand on his friend's head. The mage turned his head to look around Happy and at Makarov and Warren. He seemed to be trying to process something, but his face creased in confusion. "What's…? What?"

"You gave us quite a scare there, Natsu," Makarov smiled gently, stepping closer to the boy. With his height, Makarov was just tall enough to be eye-to-eye with Natsu, who was lying on a cushioned bed. "We'll fill you in later—try to rest for now."

Natsu gave a weak smile and a nod before giving a small wave to Warren, who returned the gesture with a beaming smile.

"I'll tell the others," Warren said, and put two fingers back to his forehead.

Makarov nodded in acknowledgement, and turned to Porlyusica. "Thank you," He said.

The healer's eyes softened ever so slightly, and she nodded. She turned and stepped around her home as she gathered different herbs, putting them in a sack and giving them to Makarov.

"These herbs will help his physical and mental condition. It will affect his mind's state for the first hour or two it is taken, but once he is healed, he will no longer have use for them, and he will be just as he was before. Brew these into a tea and have him drink it three times a day with his meals. With the progress he's already showing, I doubt you will have to tie him down for long," The healer said, an amused smile tugging at her lips. "It will also be made easier with some of the herbs I've provided."

"I can always count on you," Makarov smiled, peering into the sack curiously before tying it off. He turned to his children. "Alright, boys, it's time to go. Happy, you'll be carrying Natsu."

Warren seemed to perk at not having to carry the load, until Makarov looked up at him slyly. "Warren, my knees are growing very weary—you wouldn't mind lending on old man a hand, eh?"

Warren's grin melted into a deadpan, but he couldn't help but smile lightheartedly as Natsu gave a tired laugh.

* * *

The next day, Natsu was already showing signs of early recovery. Whereas Porlyusica suggested he may have a hard sitting up—the dragon slayer was already walking around. He was staying at the Fairy Tail infirmary so that Makarov could make sure that the boy got the medicine Porlyusica had given him, so that the boy could make a fast recovery.

That, and when Natsu first drinks the tea, he is utterly and completely _calm_. Makarov knew that Porlyusica had put some soothing herbs in the sack, but he didn't know she'd also thrown in a _miracle_.

So here he was, watching from afar, drink in hand, in slight amusement as Natsu rested his head on his folded arms on one of the communal tables in the main area of the Guild. His friends would inquire things or crack a joke, and he would simply give a calm smile and observe the conversation silently.

"Wow, so that medicine really does a number on you, huh?" Lucy said from beside the dragon slayer.

Natsu simply turned his head to look at her, resting the side of it on his folded arms before shrugging with his eyes half-lidded.

"Well, are you at least feeling better?" Wendy asked.

"Yeah," was all the wizard said in response before shifting from resting his head on his arms to propping it on a hand with his elbow on the table. "Wish I could go on a job," he smirked.

"Oh, yeah," Gray snickered, "Like you could kick anyone's butt like this." He stared challengingly at Natsu, expecting a witty remark of sorts.

Instead, Natsu merely rolled his eyes with a smirk still on his face.

"Okay, this is weird, even for you," Gray said, the ice mage crossing his arms. "How long do you have to be on this stuff? It's creeping me out how different you're acting."

"Master said that he is to continue this for at least five more days," Erza said, preparing to take a bite of the cake that had just been set in front of her.

"D'aww, Gray's just worried about Natsu," Happy giggled from his place atop the table, and Natsu chuckled, too.

"Oh, whatever," Gray scoffed, "S'just so boring without flame brain, here, bouncing around and throwing fire everywhere."

Natsu just shrugged again, and he yawned. "Makes me tired," He said.

"Can you even make a flame, Natsu?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah," Natsu answered, and he couldn't help but note that his eyes were starting to feel heavy. A few seconds of silence ticked by.

"…Well?" Wendy asked.

"Huh?"

"Make a flame, bonehead," Gray told him, sounding annoyed but feigning it in his attempt to annoy the other.

"Oh," Natsu blinked, and yawned. "Nah, I don't really feel like it."

He was met with a collective gaze of deadpans.

This elicited laughter from Natsu, and he smiled as he shook his head and apologized.

"Feelin' lazy today," He said, stretching in an almost cat-like way. "Gonna go take a nap."

With that, he stood from the table with his hands behind his head and started towards the infirmary.

"Well, uh, okay, then" Lucy said as he left them. "See you later, then."

Natsu made something of a hum of acknowledgement.

* * *

In the privacy of the infirmary, Natsu dramatically plopped face-first onto the cot he'd been using. Although he _did_ come for a nap, he truth was, he didn't really trust himself to use his magic around his friends, yet.

He hadn't told anyone this, mainly because no one had asked, but he could remember most of the nightmares he'd had while under that curse. It spooked him.

Natsu knew that those were just illusions—nothing more than something his mind conjured up in paranoia. But he couldn't shake it completely off, yet.

Perhaps it was an after-effect of the curse. Yeah. He took a little comfort in that.

He got up from his bed tiredly, and peered from the infirmary down to the table his friends were still seated.

Perhaps it was the herbs in his system, but a fond smile tugged at his face, and his body relaxed again. Natsu didn't care. His friends were safe. They were alive. Yes, he was scared of losing them more than losing his own life, but he faced his fear every day.

He fights for them. Protects them. Laughs with them. Cries with them. Shares with them. Listens to them. He loved them all.

Natsu rested his head on the doorframe and his smile grew.

And he knew that they felt the same way. He always pulled through in the end for his friends, and this time, they pulled through for _him_.

Natsu's smile stretched into a grin. He briefly stood contented with the warm feeling spreading through his chest.

Briefly.

He yawned again, reminding himself of his nap, and finally stepped away from the door, falling back onto his bed.

His friends were safe. They were okay.

And as long as Natsu was breathing, he'd make sure that they stayed that way.

 _Fin_

* * *

(A/N): Aaaaaand that's a wrap! Thanks for reading! This was sort of an experiment, I guess, haha. I wanted to see if I could write Fairy Tail and I really do have a lot of fun with it!

Ciao ^^


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